Number of asylum requests fell by more than a third in 2025

The number of asylum applications in Portugal fell by 37% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to data released by the European Union Agency for Asylum today, which highlights the low intake.

According to the latest report on asylum in the European Union (EU), the number of asylum applications fell from 2,797 to 1,763, and the three main countries of origin of applicants for international protection were Colombia (14%), China (10%) and Angola (9%).

Portugal receives 0.2% of total applications within the EU+ area (the 27 Member States and Schengen-associated countries – Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) – and has never had a high level of asylum requests by dint of its, until the last couple of years, relaxed policy towards immigration.

Even so, on December 31, 2025, authorities recorded 8,730 pending cases, representing a 94% increase compared with the same month the previous year (4,510), whilst first-instance decisions fell by 24%, from 641 to 488.

The EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) also notes that authorities granted asylum status to 288 people in 2025, a rise of 4,014% compared to 2024 (seven), mostly Afghans (42%), Syrians (13%) and Eritreans (5%), whilst the number of negative decisions dropped by 69% from 633 to 134, mostly concerning citizens of China (18%), Guinea and The Gambia (11% each).

The EUAA also notes that Portugal is in the process of transposing the legislative amendments implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum, and that a draft bill is currently being prepared.

However, the report notes that, at the end of 2025, the government launched public consultations on legislative reform to restructure detention and alternative measures to detention for the purposes of return, and to centralise responsibilities for return within the Foreigners and Borders Unit of the Public Security Police.

Throughout 2025, the country prepared for the implementation of the Migration Pact, which came into force on December 12, 2025, notably through the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) hiring additional staff and introducing improvements to workflows, new models and digital tools “which helped to reduce decision-making times and ensure compliance with legal deadlines in the various procedures”.

In February 2025, the EUAA notes, the procedure for submitting subsequent applications for international protection was amended, introducing clearer rules to ensure greater efficiency.

With regard to the reception of applicants for protection, the agency noted the increased capacity of reception centres, including specialised residential units for unaccompanied minors, alongside mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating compliance with reception standards and quality indicators.

In February 2025, the authorities authorised the construction of two new temporary accommodation centres for third-country nationals as part of the screening process, the border asylum procedure and the border return procedure.

Across the EU+ countries as a whole, and for the second consecutive year, the number of applications for international protection fell to a total of 800,000 in 2025, which the EUAA attributed to factors such as political developments in key countries of origin, such as Syria, and European cooperation with partner countries, which reduced mobility along migration routes to Europe.

Source: LUSA